Influence is a tough thing to measure for newer series, and “best” indicates a value judgment that feels separate from the ideas we were trying to get across. When we sat down to write a list of family TV shows that shaped the genre, we thought about words like “influential” and “best.” None of those felt quite right for this project. Why I Wanted to Adapt Roseanne for the Trump Era Serialized cable dramas, reality shows, and sitcoms that push against the traditional forms are now part of the broader idea of what a “family TV series” can be. Family TV has evolved from the sitcom, a form deep in the DNA of the earliest TV programs, to also reflect changes in how we make and watch TV.
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Because shows like this have been a part of popular TV programming from the earliest days of the form, they give us a fascinating way of examining ourselves - or at least, examining what we thought of ourselves - over decades of American culture. But in either case, the TV family show plays with ideas reflecting the current moment, or acts as a model to aspire to (or avoid). Sometimes it’s more of a funhouse mirror, especially for TV dramas that find families in extreme circumstances or comedies that push against familiar norms. On a sitcom it can feel like a literal mirror: The people onscreen sit around a sofa and talk to one another, and we, on our sofas, look back at them.
#Soap tv show sitting around table talking about sex series#
One of the hallmarks of a TV family series is the sense that we’re looking into a mirror. All week long, Vulture is exploring how it’s been represented on our screens.
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As long as there’s been TV, the family has been one of its favorite go-tos.